And the reinforcement is... Facundo Erpen from Talleres de Cordoba, Argentina. http://www.mlsnet.com/MLS/espanol/index.jsp http://www.mlsnet.com/MLS/news/esp_..._id=36221&vkey=news_esp_mls&fext=.jsp&lang=es
Re: And the reinforcement is... Well, that's a name I hadn't heard in all the speculation. Anyone familiar with?
Re: And the reinforcement is... nice find. only on MLSnet in spanish....right now. heres a little somethin: http://www.balon-sa.com.ar/web/erpen.htm Born in 83, so not that old. Thats a good thing.
Re: And the reinforcement is... Erpen was not one of my top 2 picks in my earlier AAAA posts but he did make my short-list: Other players who fit the DC bill (U25 Argie playing in 2nd Division with 1st Division experience) are center-backs Luciano Precone (Chacarita Jrs. – where ex-Metro stiff Juan Forchetti plays) and Victor Soto (Nueva Chicago – another club with whom Christian Gomez played). A few other players who somewhat fit the DC description include Christian Cellay (Huracan), Nelson Benitez (Tallares), Facundo Erpen (Tallares), Carlos Araujo (Rafaela), and Marcelo Mosset (Union). I will put together a post on him while I listen to the DC-Rhinos match tonight.
Re: And the reinforcement is... Google translation ... http://translate.google.com/transla...ext=.jsp&lang=es&langpair=es|en&hl=en&ie=UTF8 ... if the link works.
Re: And the reinforcement is... I get the impression that it's indicating that the local Telemundo affiliate has dug this up, and the the club neither confirms nor denies. So, maybe true, maybe not, dunno.
Re: And the reinforcement is... And here I was thinking that Thompson was the next Albright, and there would be no need for a new defender.
Re: And the reinforcement is... "Erpen, born the 19 of May of 1983, is defined as a player with good technique, fort and with much temperament; it has very good jump, which allows him to shake one's head as much in its area as in the rival area. It measures a meter eighty centimeters, it weighs 71 kilos and he is skilful." Yes, but will the ventilators be embossed?
Re: And the reinforcement is... I can be embossed if "it has very good jump, which allows him to shake one's head as much in its area as in the rival area." DCU has had a "head shaking" deficiency for some time now. However, I still wish Payne would sign Sergio Bathrobe instead. Imagine a central defense with the "Killer B's", Boswell and Bathrobe.
Re: And the reinforcement is... From the Google translation: So does that mean he's like Dema Kovalenko this year or last year?
Re: And the reinforcement is... Must be last year. I haven't seen much (if any) temperament from Dema, this year.
Re: And the reinforcement is... The guy who wrote the article on MLSnet is Gustavo Cherquis who is part of Telemundo's B announcing team (Andres Cantor's backup). Paraphrasing: Facundo Erpen is a 22-year old central defender from Talleres de Cordoba of the Argentine League's 2nd Division. He started his careers in his home province of Entre Rios 200 km from Buenos Aires with Club Juventud Unida (United Youth Club) of Entre Rios. He then went to Boca Juniors where he played on their lower division teams in 1999 and 2000. He then went on to Talleres de Cordoba where he has been a starter. Born May 19, 1983 Erpen is a strong player with good technique; he's got a big leap and can head the ball well both on offense and defense. He 180 centimeters tall, weighs 71 kilos and is rightfooted. He comes to DC "con el pase en su poder" - I think this means he's a free agent and won't require a transfer fee. Per club policy the team from the capital (that would be Washington, DC) would not confirm the news or make any comments. The signing is good news for Peter Nowak's team since the team's backline is considered it's main weakness. END TRANSLATION
Re: And the reinforcement is... Facundo Adrian Erpen - Central Defender - Club Atletico Talleres Height: 1.80 meters (5'11") Weight: 72 kilograms (160 lbs.) DOB: 5/19/83 Playing Stats (all games with Talleres): Premier Division 2002 Apertura: 1 game 0 goals 2003 Clausura: 0 games 0 goals 2003 Apertura: 0 games 0 goals 2004 Clausura: 16 games 2 goals (likely played youth/reserve games in 2002 & 2003) National B Division 2004 Apertura: 16 games 0 goals 2005 Clausura: 17 games 2 goals Even though Erpen made my short-list of possible players, I thought that DC has looking to get a bigger player than someone 5'11" 160 lbs.
Re: And the reinforcement is... This info comes from the player agency that is handling Erpen. We may want to bookmark the website for next August's Annual Argie acquisition.
Re: And the reinforcement is... Doubt it - this agency seems to specialize in B Division players, especially ones from Erpen's team (Talleres), but there are some Premier Division playerson their list. It would make sense to go back to the well with Gomez's agents since it worked out well for all involved. Here is a photo of Erpen (I can not seem to link the actual article - the link is to a search page - click on 1st article for the photo): http://www.lavozdelinterior.com.ar/...&R=Zonas+Geogr%E1ficas%02Pa%EDses%02Argentina
Re: And the reinforcement is... Hey, I don't care if he comes from a great team or a poor team, but I'm gonna give him a chance. We've had great prospects who bomb and complete unknowns who have completely blossomed. Heck, if you had told me at the beginning of the season that Petke would be traded and not replaced with another backliner, then Namoff would go down injured, I would have expected a complete meltdown. But Nowak has found a gem in Boswell and a quality replacement in Wilson. Brandon Prideaux was behind some darn good players last season, and it's no surprise that he's earned a starting spot. I doubt any of those guys is better in the air than a 5'11 guy with a good vertical leap. He may be a little lightweight, but MLS doesn't have a lot of bruising forwards, so it sounds like a good fit. He's young, was starting in a solid league (Argentina has so many good players their lower leagues aren't as bad as one might think), and comes well recommended from a high quality teammate. I'm excited to see him show his skills, and I'm willing to accept that he probably will not fully adjust to DC until next season. Is it a replacement for Nelsen, heck no, but Nelsen was fantastic for our defense, and that's why he left, so I didn't really expect an equal quality player. It would have been nice to keep Petke, but I suspect that was a salary-cap move intended to replace Petke with a slower-salary alternative. If Erpen is the guy ... welcome aboard! -Digital
Re: And the reinforcement is... (Please please please let him be the guy... Why do I feel like our season hinges upon this?)
Re: And the reinforcement is... Our season hinges on Alecko Eskandarian being able to play again and finding his scoring touch as well as the health of Quaranta and Moreno. The defense can definitely be tightened up and it would be nice to let in a couple less goals over multiple games, but the offense is what's holding this group back.
Re: And the reinforcement is... That means he is 22..If he is the guy and plays well..he could be around for a while.
Re: And the reinforcement is... Although we will not really know until we see him play in DC, Erpen's positives during his play in Argentina seem to outweigh the negatives: Positives: * recently turned 22 years old (will count as a Youth International for a few years - meaning that we still have a Senior International spot open; however, we do not have any senior roster spots open. We also still have another Youth International spot open if KPN want to bring in another low-cost Argie next year) * probably being acquired for a reasonable fee coupled with a not-too-pricey salary since he is young and coming from a National B Division team which was not poised to be promoted to the Premier Division (Talleres was middle of the pack in terms of the recent Argie promotion/relegation playoffs based on their 2004/2005 point totals - Argie promotion/relegation based on 3 year average points per game) * in the one full season Erpen spent as a starter in the Argie Premier Division, Talleres finished in 3rd place (out of 20 teams) and were in the top 5 in the goals against category. The most recent season (2005 Clausura) saw Talleres again finish in the top 5 in the goals against category. * able to chip in with a few goals from the back (2004 Clausura - 16 games - 2 goals; 2005 Clausura 17 games - 2 goals) * good jumping ability - which perhaps offsets his lack of height * listed as a center-back although he supposedly can play anywhere in the backline. We do not have anyone that versatile in our backline (although Stokes has spent time at RB, CB, and LB if you count reserve games [CB] and Harbor View [LB when Petke was tried at CB]). Negatives: * 5'11" 160 lbs - not exactly the big defender that most of us were looking to get. Our primary goalie and backline players now include: 5'10" - Rimando, Wilson, Namoff 5'11" - Erpen 6'0" - Prideaux 6'2" - Boswell 6'3" - Stokes Not the end of the world that he is not a 6'+ 175 pounder - we just have a fairly small team to start with and this acquisition does not make it any bigger. Again, the leaping ability will hopefully make up for the somewhat lack of height. * per his Sports Agency site, he has a temperment (not sure if this is just a Google translation f-up. Erpen got 1 red card in 33 National B division games over the last year. In his 16 games as a starter in 2004 in the Permier Division, he got 3 yellow cards and 0 red cards. He does not seem to be a referee's nightmare in terms of lack of discipline. The negatives do not seem to be bad and there are plenty of positives.